Boxpark is a food and retail park made out of refitted shipping containers in Britain. It was founded by Roger Wade, who described it as the "world's first pop-up mall". The first Boxpark was launched in Shoreditch in 2011, another was built in Croydon next to East Croydon station in 2016, and a third opened in Wembley in late 2018. Other Boxparks are also planned for other cities and countries.
Origin
According to its founder Roger Wade, who started out with the street fashion shop and label Boxfresh, the idea for a shopping centre made out of shipping containers has its origin in 1999, while he was attending German trade shows with Boxfresh. For each show, he would need to build a mini shop that would then be demolished, and he wondered if he could build a trade show stand in a container that could be reused. He said: "That was the beginning of my fascination, in 1999. Years later a friend was running retail developments, so some time in 2008-09 I wondered 'why not build a whole retail development out of containers?" The first Boxpark was built in 2011 and was described "the world's first pop up mall". However, by then shipping containers had already been used as pop-up shops, office and retail spaces around the world, for example the portable Puma City shop in US cities, and the Dordoy Bazaar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The company has plans to expand to other countries; however, a retail park also called Boxpark that opened in Dubai is not part of this company.
Boxpark Shoreditch
The first temporary shopping centre, backed by Charles Dunstone of Carphone Warehouse, was built at the Shoreditch end of Bethnal Green Road on part of the former Bishopsgate goods yard in Shoreditch. Boxpark opened in December 2011, initially made out of 60 recycled shipping containers over two floors, with 40 in the lower floor, 20 in the upper floor. Originally intended to open for five years, the centre is still operating. Boxpark Shoreditch has 19 restaurants and bars and 27 shops. The Boxpark at Shoreditch was redeveloped in 2017, with the upper deck becoming the focus for street food at the venue.
Boxpark Croydon
On 20 March 2015, it was announced that a second Boxpark would be built in Croydon to coincide with the regeneration project Croydon Vision 2020. The centre was built with a £3 million loan from the Croydon Council and intended to be a temporary structure that would last for five years, until homes and offices could be developed on the site. The scheme was designed by BDP, and the two-storey structure is constructed out of 96 shipping containers. It is in the form of a semi-enclosed market hall with units arranged around it, and provides 24,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space, double that of Shoreditch. The Boxpark in Croydon has a covered seating area, as it was found that trade dropped off during the winter months in Shoreditch when it was exposed to the elements. Boxpark Croydon has 36 shop units and is focused on dining and drink outlets. It opened in October 2016. It also hosts events such as music performances, kickboxing and screenings of movies and football matches.
Boxpark Wembley
A third Boxpark opened near Wembley Stadium in December 2018. Boxpark Wembley is the largest one yet, covering a floor area of 50,000 sq ft, with a 2,000-person capacity events space. Boxpark Wembley has 30 units, and 24 food and drinkretail outlets have opened at the venue. As with Boxpark Croydon, the open hall/events space may be used for events such as music performances and screenings. It is regularly used as a fan zone for those attending football matches, concerts and other events held at Wembley.
